Paper-holder



(No Model.)

U. W. SHERWOOD.

PAPER HOLDER. I

No. 882,828. Patented 1 1888.;

' N PETERS. Phala-Lithognphur, Wnhinglon. n.0,

- 3 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE;

oALvm w. SHERWOOD,

OF CHIGAG O, ILLINOIS.

air nes-E SPECIFICATION forming part or Letters Paten No. 382,623, dated May a, 1888. Application filed nebaty'i iist "s 1 n .2 6s,s as, (No model.)

To aZZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, CALVIN W. SHERWOOD, a citizen of the United-States, residing'at Ohicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Paper-Holders, of which the following is a specification.

.My invention relates to an improvement in the class of paper-holders which has come into general use in mercantile houses for holding order-blanks, blank freight-receipts, and the like, usually carried about andvwritten upon while held in the hand. I

The object of my improvement is to provide a paper-holder of the foregoing class which, while admitting of readyinsertion and removal of the blanks when these operations are rendered desirable, shall clamp them with the necessary firmness and enablethem to lie practically at full length flat upon either side of the holder and be transferred from one side to the other without removal from the holder, whereby the whole of both sides of each blank, except the narrow strip in each instance immediately within the grip of the clamp,may be utilized and any part thereof written upon without difficulty or even inconvenience.

To these ends my invention consists in a paper-holder having a flat base and a clamp flexibly hinged to the base'near one edge thereof, and reversible upon itshinge, to lie flatwise against either side of the base,and have its jaws point toward the opposite edge thereof; and it further consists in details of construction and combinations of parts. 1

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective view of my improved device provided with two bases,whieh may also serve as covers, the

. upper one being raised to expose to view the clamping mechanism, and showing, by dotted lines, a key inserted into the clamp; Fig. 2, an enlarged longitudinal broken sectional view of the clamping end of the holder, the upper cover being opened and turned over to lie against the under one, and showing the position of the key within the'elamp when the j aws are closed; and Fig. 3 a similar view showing the key in the act of being turned to open the jaws of the clamp.

A A are bases, affording also covers, com prising each a flat plate of wood, paper-board, or other suitable material.

one base, A, will answer the purpose of mylinventiong-it is preferable, on account of thei'severe iusageto which devices-of this character arefapt' to be subjected, to have two bases,--'as"illustrated'irt'the drawings, whereby V increased-strength" is obtained for the device, and th'egbases serve as covers to protect the papers, whi'ch'may thus'be held between them while being carried about. 1

Each base A is provided,prei'erably, with a covering of leather, canvas, or the like flexible material, which extends beyondone edge of the same, being integral with the basev or not, as-desired,'to afford a flap or hinge portion, q, upon which a clamp, B, is fastened. The clamp B comprises two parallel strips of springy metal riveted together along one longitudinal edge on opposite sides ofthe flaps q, the rivets passing through the clamping-strips and 'fiaps of both covers A, as shown, the flaps .being thus embraced between the clampingstrips and the covers A thereby fastened together; The clamping-strips are preferably, but notnecessarily, each provided with a shallow longitudinal groove, 19, and are fastened in their operative positions with the-grooved sides adj acent to each other to cause the grooves to lie coincident and form an oval or oblong channel, 0, for the insertion of a suitable-key, as hereinafter described. The jaws of the clamp are normally closed, and are maintained in such condition with considerable force, varying with the springy quality of the metal of which. the clamp is composed.

'Tofspread'the jaws of the clamp apart for the reception of papers, a key, 0, comprising an oblong strip of metal bent toward one end to form a lever, as, may be inserted into the channel 0, and the key being greater in width than the distance across the narrow diameter of the oblong channel, turning of the key by means of its lever portion 00 willspread the clampingstrips apart and open the jaws. The key 0 may be removable, as shown, or not, in which latter case it may be made to extend through,

and project from both ends of the clamp Band be bent over to form levers, which would also 7 serve to retain the key in its operative position against removal;

Under some conditions it may be highly de-' sirable to have the key removable, whereby after insertion of the papers they can only be removed and readily reinserted by the holder of the key.

I do not limit my improvement to the use of any special form of key, since any form or device which may be used as a key may be employed.

In using the device the jaws of the clamp are opened by turning the key 0 within the oblong passage 0, for the reception of papers, and allowed, by turning the key back again, to embrace the edges of the papers which are thus firmly held. The upper cover A may then be turned over against the under cover A, as shown in Figs. 2 and 3, if two covers be used, the covers together thus forming the base to be grasped in the hand while the papers are being written upon.

If it be desired to write on both sides of the papers or blanks, the matter may, after writing on one side thereof, be caused to present their opposite sides without removal from the clamp B by turning the latter and papers resting against one cover or side of a base, A, over to rest against the other cover or opposite side ofa base, A, and reversing the device to bring that side uppermost.

The flexible hinge q may be of any desired length, though ifjust suiflciently long to allow the clamp and papers held therein to lie flatly against either side of the base it will serve its purpose.

\Vhat I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. A paper-holder comprising, in combination, a base, A, provided at one end with a flexible extension forming a reversible hinge, q, and a clamp, B, secured at one edge to the hinge to have its jaws project in the direction of the said extension, whereby a paper held by the clamp will lie practically to its full length flat upon either side of the base, substantially as described.

2. A paper-holder comprising, in combination, a base, A, provided at one end with a flexible hinge, q, and a spring-clamp, B, se- 5 cured at one edge to the hinge q, and having its jaws normally closed, and a key for opening the jaws, substantially as described.

3. 'A paper-holder comprising, in combination, a base, A, provided at one end with a flexible hinge, q, and a spring-clamp, B, secured at one edge to-the hinge q, and having its jaws normally closed, and a key for opening the jaws permanently attached to the clamp, substantially as described.

4. A paper-holder comprising, in combination, a base, A, provided at one end with a flexible hinge, q, and a spring-clamp, B, secured at one edge to the hinge q, provided with a channel, 0, and having its jaws normally closed, and a key to turn in the channel to open the jaws, substantially as described.

5. In a paper-holder, the bases A, flexibly hinged together at corresponding edges to open and lie back to back to form a practically single base, a flexible extension forming a reversible hinge, q, and a clamp, B, secured at one edge to the hinge q, to have its jaws project in the direction of the said extension, whereby a paper held by the clamp will lie practically to its full length upon either side of the base, substantially as described.

CALVIN W. SHERWOOD. In presence of- J. XV. DYRENFORTH, CHAS. E. GAYLORD. 

